Prague Airport will mark the 90th anniversary of the birth of Václav Havel – a former playwright, dissident and president, and one of the most important figures in modern Czech history. From October, passengers and visitors to Václav Havel Prague Airport can look forward to, among other things, three themed exhibitions and a ‘Poesiomat’ featuring audio extracts from Havel’s writings.
Václav Havel was born on 5 October 1936 in Prague, so from this October, the airport will feature several tributes marking what would have been his 90th birthday. “We have long embraced Václav Havel’s legacy at the airport, and we want to mark the 90th anniversary of his birth in a way that would have been close to his heart – through exhibitions and literature. We are delighted that the airport, as one of the gateways to the Czech Republic, can once again introduce visitors from all over the world to Havel’s multifaceted+ story and the values he upheld throughout his life,” says Marek Zeman, Director of Communications and Marketing at Prague Airport.
Three themed exhibitions will be on display at the airport from 1 October. The Art Zone gallery in the public area of Terminal 2 will host the exhibition 'Václav Havel: A Story in Pictures', created in collaboration with the organisation Czech Photo. It will present Václav Havel through photographs taken over several decades, showing him as a statesman, dissident, playwright and as a private individual in moments from his personal life. The photographers whose work is on display include Karel Cudlín, Ondřej Němec, Alexandra Mlejnková, Jan Třeštík and Dan Materna, who is also the exhibition’s curator.
Together with the 1st Presidential Library, Prague Airport has organised the exhibition "Václav Havel’s Prague", which will be located in the public concourse between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 – making it accessible not only to passengers, but to all visitors to the airport. It will showcase a total of 18 locations in Prague associated with Havel’s life. The exhibition 'Václav Havel and Poland', organised in collaboration with the Polish Institute in Prague, will then offer an insight into Havel’s extraordinary relationship with Poland and its people. Passengers will be able to view the exhibition in Pier C, beyond the central security checkpoint in Terminal 2.
Further activities will complement the celebrations marking Havel’s anniversary. Passengers will be able to borrow and read Havel’s publications from the airport libraries; these will be available in both Czech and English. Passengers will find the books in the library by the Poesiomat or in the relaxation zone in Terminal 2. The Poesiomat will also play readings of Havel’s writings. On 4 October, the airport is planning special tours commemorating Václav Havel. The tours are free and open to anyone interested, subject to online registration on the airport’s website prg.aero/exkurze. On the anniversary itself, 5 October, special visual tributes dedicated to Václav Havel will also appear on screens across the terminals.
Václav Havel Airport Prague has been named after the first Czech president since 2012. Permanent art installations in Terminal 2 of Prague Airport provide a lasting tribute to him. These include the Anamorphic Portrait of Václav Havel, composed of more than three thousand authentic items related to Havel’s legacy. In Terminal 2, passengers can also visit Forum Havlum, designed as a small theatre stage where Václav Havel's literary and political quotes are projected. Last but not least, beyond the security checkpoint in Terminal 2, there is a monumental tapestry entitled ‘The Flying Man’, created Havel's honour by artist Petr Sís. Symbolising freedom and human rights, the artwork was created with the support of world-renowned artists such as musicians Sting and Peter Gabriel, as well as members of the rock band U2.
